PM ADVISORY:

Project Closure! Knowing When to Say “Stop”!

By Jeremy Katz
Moorhouse Consulting
UK

In the current business environment it is imperative that we take a closer look at project investment and ensure that it is money well spent. However, with so many public examples of organisations that have had their fingers burned by expensive failed projects, investing in change through projects can feel like a giant bear trap. Whilst it is impossible to completely remove the risk that any project will fail to deliver, what can be done is to identify failing projects early and close them quickly, in order to save both face and valuable money.

Why don’t organisations close down failing projects?

It can often take a huge amount of effort to get a project off the ground. Getting the business case signed-off, money to proceed and a project team in place sometime feels like half the battle has already been won. Getting sign-off for project delivery is a ‘hard gate’ to get through.

However, part of the reason that organisations neglect to close down failing projects is that their failings often only become obvious somewhere between initiation and completion. Interestingly this is when we tend to measure and control our projects least. This is because most projects tend to have ‘soft gates’ through their delivery cycle; meaning failing projects keep on running. The most common reasons for soft gates are:

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About the Author Jeremy Katz Author Jeremy Katz is a senior consultant with APM “Project Management Company of the Year’ Moorhouse Consulting. Jeremy has several years of PPM and consultancy experience, having operated in the telecoms, energy, healthcare and utilities industries. Previous to Moorhouse, Jeremy worked for Accenture specialising in strategic and IT transformation for European Healthcare Providers. Currently Jeremy is engaged with Moorhouse within BT’s Global Services Division on a global network and customer migration programme. Other key consulting clients include the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, NHS, Shell, British Gas and various European health authorities. Beyond this, he has a special interest in Knowledge and Information Management, having published in the Academy of Management Journal and worked in various organizations defining Knowledge Management and implementing Knowledge Management solutions. For more information, visit www.moorhouseconsulting.com.